Myrtenaster's Loss
by TheBrokenBottle
Summary: Ruby Rose is a deckhand on The Myrtenaster, a famous ship that belongs to Remnant's most famous merchant. She finds herself especially drawn to the first mate and captain's daughter, Weiss Schnee. But when tragedy strikes and Weiss withdraws into herself, will Ruby be able to comfort her?
1. All hands on Deck

**Hey guys! **

**Fourth story already. It sure is going fast. **

**This is a collarboration, between Navyrants, (I think you'll know him from The Rose Thief, check that out.) and me. (TheBrokenBottle) ****It wasn't really planned to end up like this, but we hope it'll work out! I mailed him because I had a question, (Not important.) and well, we ended up chatting and doing a project together. Pretty funny actually.**

**Remember: First chapter is a filler. (Better known as a prologue.)**

**Read, Follow, Favourite, Review and Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>September 27th, 1783.<strong>

A young girl bounded up the gangplank to one of the most famous trade vessels on the open seas, glad to be back after nearly two weeks ashore. She twirled, grinning cheerfully at the members of the crew that had already boarded the ship-Blake and Yatsuhashi were, as usual, the first ones there. The doctor and the cook each sent a small smile toward the cheerful deckhand, offering nods in response to her waves.

Not too far behind Ruby was her somewhat less enthusiastic sister, Yang. Though both siblings loved the ship and their jobs on it, no one could ever be as cheerful as the youngest crew member. Even so, the blonde offered a wide grin at the ship's doctor, whose own smile broadened a bit.

Behind the sisters came charging a small dog, yapping happily. Ruby crouched down, ruffling his fur. Nearby, Blake shifted her weight nervously. She'd never liked the dog.

At first, Ruby had smuggled Zwei onto the ship, intending to keep him a secret from the Captain. This, obviously, hadn't worked out as she'd hoped. Within a week on the sea, Captain Schnee had discovered the little stowaway, but he didn't react the way the young girl had expected him to. He had chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound, and lifted the ball of fluff in his arms. He, and the rest of the crew with him, had adopted the puppy into the family.

Except, of course, for the ship doctor. Blake had never been fond of dogs, even small ones like Zwei. Even after a year and a half, she still hadn't warmed up to him. Ruby understood this and tried to keep the excitable animal away from her withdrawn friend. Presently, she sent the furball to play with Yang and walked over to the older woman.

"Heya, Blake!"

The cat faunus twitched her ears as she slowly turned around, hearing the familiar voice. She was suddenly embraced by Ruby, wrapping her arms around her for a brief moment. Blake wasn't really a cuddly person, especially with people she didn't know that well. Ruby was relieved that the intelligent yet quiet girl accepted her inside her personal space.

"Good morning, Ruby." A smile appeared on Blake's face, showing her relief that Ruby had arrived to The Myrtenaster without any injuries. The last time Ruby had returned to her place on the ship, she had bruises on her face and body, telling them she almost was robbed during her time on land. Luckily, Ruby had had her sister around to teach the thief a lesson.

The younger girl was about to say something, but was interrupted by Zwei, jumping up against her knee. She quickly raised him from the wooden surface, according to her agreement with Blake, keeping the dog out her area.

Though apparently, it wasn't needed anymore because Blake was already gone. That girl sure was stealthy.

Once again, Ruby was caught off guard again, catching the sound of footsteps on the gangplank, and it were more than just one person.

A whole crowd came walking up the deck, all taking up their assigned tasks from their last journey to Mistral. Of course, the ship had to be fully loaded with enough provisions for the crew to come through this voyage. Ammo and repair material was also necessary. The seas were rough and overloaded with ships that weren't exactly looking to trade.

As a child, Ruby's parents could tell stories for hours about traveling the empire. And they did, just about every night before they disappeared, an event which forced Ruby and Yang to grow up fast. A couple years later, they'd joined Captain Schnee's crew on The Myrtenaster. It paid well and the living conditions were leagues better than the average ship.

Being a deckhand was risky because not only could you be attacked by pirates, but there was also the potentially life-threatening weather. Waves that could easily reach the height of smaller ships, waterspouts that could suck you in without any effort, and lightning that could set your ship in flames in the shortest fraction of a second. It was all worth it, though, because someone who could survive it could tell you what living really felt like.

Having been too busy playing with Zwei, Ruby hadn't noticed all the people that had come on board in the meantime. They were almost all there. Only two more.

In the right corner of her eye, the redhead saw Lie Ren, sitting on the edge of the hull, reading a thick book. A normal activity for Ren when he had nothing else to do. Taking her surroundings in, Ruby also saw her good friends Pyrrha and Jaune talking to Velvet. Coco and Fox, who had taken place on the forecastle deck, were fishing with wooden sticks and pieces of rope, alongside some other ship men.

"Yang, you idiot! If you're going to hurt yourself again, I'm not patching you up this time!" Blake called out, attracting the attention of a bunch of crewmates, all starting to laugh at the sight. Zwei began to bark happily and even Ruby, who was used to her sister's craziness giggled.

The quirky blonde was hanging upside down into the shrouds that lead you up to the eagle nest, or as they called it, the 'death trap'-because of how high it was from the deck. The blonde was clutching her brown hat against her head to keep it from falling while talking to the person that hung next to her, also in the same pose: Upside down.

"Crazy Falcon", also known as Nora Valkyrie was the one next to Yang. It was clear she had eaten candy, doing crazy stunts into the rope as an evidence.

With laughter from everyone (except for Blake and Ren), and some energetic shouts from both Nora and Yang, the crew was causing quite a commotion. This, of course, drew the attention of the captain's First Mate and daughter, Weiss Schnee. She stormed out of the captain's quarters, glaring at all of them without noticing the two young women suspended on the ropes above.

"What is going on here?"

Hearing that voice again, Ruby took in a sharp breath. It was Weiss, the girl Ruby had fallen for during her first week on the ship. During the 18 months she was in duty for the captain and his daughter, Ruby had been happy with every moment she was in the white beauty's presence. Sometimes she tried to show off, and once a while, it would make the girl giggle. Unfortunately, this crush didn't go unnoticed to by crew. As if cruel, cruel fate had looked into Ruby's worst nightmares, Yang had discovered the younger girl's affections towards the quartermaster and told everyone who could keep a secret. Which is to say, everyone except Nora and Jaune. Everyday, Ruby worried about whether Weiss knew about the deckhand's feelings towards her. It was an impossible chance. How could such an amazing girl ever fall in love with a crewmate like herself?

"Well… That is, ma'am." Ruby had built the courage to go in conversation with the quartermaster, who was now standing next to her. She gestured upwards at her sister and friend.

Weiss turned her attention towards where the younger girl had pointed. The sight made the quartermaster sighed in irritation.

"Yang, Nora." She called out. "Please get out of there, we don't need you two getting hurt, do we?"

Ruby was surprised by how calmly Weiss reacted, knowing how much Yang and Nora could work on her nerves. The deckhand had caught herself staring at the beauty with a dreamlike expression, which she quickly wiped away. She was lucky Weiss hadn't seen Ruby's eyes locked at her.

Everyone's attention was caught when they heard the heavy wooden door that brought you to the strategist's room opened. The place captain Schnee normally worked. Without saying a word, he looked around, only for his attention to be caught by Nora, who was now hanging alone in the shrouds. Yang had already returned to her sister and Zwei, still cradled in Ruby's arms..

To the surprise of all of the crewmates and his own daughter, he started to laugh, walking over to where the sisters and his daughter were standing.

The man was greeted by Zwei, jumping out Ruby's arms, running into the man his legs.

"Hey, looks like little Zwei is back, as happy as always."

Ruby smiled, along with everyone else. Even Weiss, who arguably loved the little ball of fur more than anyone.

"Good morning sir."

Seemingly, Captain Schnee was happy to see his crew again. For him, his crew meant the world. In a lot of ways, he saw them as family. And in a lot of ways, many of them felt the same. Yang and Ruby especially considered him a father figure, as he'd done his best to act the part ever since he'd hired them. The tall, broad man made a noticeable effort to treat everyone, including his daughter, the same. It was often a great comfort to the sisters, though sometimes it just brought on homesickness.

Which is why Ruby spent much more time with Weiss than her father. So she told herself. Though she would try to convince herself, she knew that the real reason was simply how good she felt around the other girl. With the captain it was uncertain at any time if he would cheer her up or only make her think of home, but with the lovely First Mate, that was never a worry. Even just standing beside her now, it made her grin a little broader, her step a little springier, and her laugh a little longer.

She'd noticed it after their second week at sea, when she and Yang were both still learning how to do their jobs. It had been subtle, a warm feeling that she had chalked up to talking to someone close to her age for the first time in a long while. Even if the girl had seemed cold and a bit mean at first, Ruby hadn't minded. She didn't think it was anything worth thinking too hard about until she caught herself daydreaming about the white-haired girl.

This, while not too worrying, had brought the unidentified feelings to attention. She felt a bit conflicted about them, but eventually decided to ask someone about it. She had originally intended to ask Yang, but on a whim she had confided in Pyrrha instead. The older girl had given her a warm smile and told her, "It sounds like you've got a crush."

Boy, had she been right.

The worst of it was that it had never gone away, nor had she done anything about it. But most times she didn't really feel the need to, so long as she could be next to her. It was several months after that talk before she realized she was really in it deep, and it took less than a week after that for Yang to mention it.

So now, in September of the year of 1783, Ruby Rose had come to a decision. She was going to tell Weiss Schnee how she felt.

She only hoped it would be as simple as it sounded in her head.


	2. Real Trouble

**October 14th, 1783.**

Yesterday, The Myrtenaster weighed anchor in Salt Lake while the crew was out on land again. Salt Lake was a small community, built in the bay, on the water. It was also called "The floating city" because only five percent of the place was built on the land. It was actually a beautiful town, with high cliffs, lots of green, and a waterfall that flowed into the sea. They hadn't actually planned to make a stop here, but because it wasn't too out of their way and Captain Schnee had a bit of business there, he decided to give his crew a day off. This was a great relief to them all, although they were used to the lack of privacy on the ship.

In the late evening of that same day, the Myrtenaster crew gathered on the ship, ready to hoist the sails and take off again. And so they did, leaving the bay and its friendly but few people as they took off to the place they all desired the most: The sea.

Ruby lay back, resting her numb body on the bleached wooden hull of the magnificent Cutter as she had a stick rested on her lap. The stick was a makeshift fishing rod that, surprisingly, worked just fine. She had already caught two fish in hardly half an hour. The redhead still had to recover from yesterday, hanging half the evening on the bar of the tavern in Salt Lake. She still couldn't remember the amount of bitter liquid she had poured into her body, but sure it was quite a bit.

"Ruby!" A melodic voice called, and Ruby didn't need to open her eyes to know who called her. Quickly scrambling up, the deckhand saluted, but more in a playful way than anything else. She received a smile from the white-haired girl in front of her before she let herself drop on the hull also. Before Ruby could think of something to say, she saw Weiss, shaking her head in a laugh at the sight of the girl, holding a half-rotten stick with a rope at the end.

"Good morning Weiss! What brings you here?"

Weiss sighed, closing her eyes as she did so. Clearly, the captain's daughter wasn't sharing quite as much enthusiasm as the boisterous redhead currently wide-eyed with excitement.

"It's just the fact that there isn't much to do today. There is no wind, so we're not moving forward and my father… Well, he's been worrying all day because of the weather conditions; they're getting worse every minute. He's afraid we might get a storm."

Ruby had a blank expression. There were indeed some big cumulus clouds in the distance, staring threateningly at the Myrtenaster.

The two shared idle chitchat, broken only by Zwei, who came up to the duo as he barked and jumped in excitement and happiness as he always did. It was amusing to the girls to see the happy ball of fur, jumping around them, trying to bite into Ruby's makeshift fishing rod.

By now all the rest of the rest of the crew had gotten well accustomed to the bundle of energy that was currently darting around the ship, chasing Velvet. And though it was a thankless task bringing him back on board when he once again jumped off the ship into the sea, they all loved him nonetheless.

"I hope you're doing alright now. Blake told me she saw you entering the ship last night when we were about to take off to the sea again. From what she told me, you and Yang were drunk. Very drunk."

Ruby's vivid cheeks were enough confirmation for Weiss. To Ruby's surprise, her crush playfully pulled her into a one armed hug, which made her pout. The blush continue to glow, but Weiss let go before she noticed anything unusual. It was times like this that Ruby found Weiss's playful attitude both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand it was great to be held by the person she had a crush on, but on the other hand it was like torture being so close and yet unable to do anything about it.

"Yang! Get down from there!"

A worried sounding Blake caught both their attentions and spared Ruby a measure of embarrassment. Right now, Yang was balancing atop the mighty mast of the ship as Nora was standing right beside her. Even from here Ruby could see the manic look on Yang's face, and thus she was not the least surprised when Yang leapt from the mast and aimed for the ocean. Unfortunately for her, there wasn the simple matter of the rigging in between her and the water below, causing her to end up, stuck by many ropes, to the amusement of the crew. And the embarrasment of her sister.

"Uhm.. I-I have to go, you see.. Yang erm.. You know. Bye!"

Feeling like she was just saved from a shark-attack, Ruby left the rather awkward scene between her, and the girl she loved. Her sister was a complete dork, but she did have impeccable timing.

Without any signs of effort, Ruby managed to climb up the high tower, to the mast Yang was hanging from, her head lowered in embarrasment. Reaching the last few inches, the redhead drew a small dagger out the small holster that was attached to her belt.

"You came to save me!" Yang threw out her arms, quickly pulling them back in after a short moment of shock by the feeling from the ropes, moving and loosening around her waist. Ruby realized an opportunity and grinned at her sister.

"Say I'm the best."

"Ruby!" A loud whine left the blonde's mouth, but the younger of the two would not relent.

"Come on, sis. Say it!"

"Okay, you're the best! Now please free me!"

With a small chuckle, Ruby took a short moment, enjoying the sight of her sister as she was hanging helpless in an uncomfortable position, stuck into the ropes.

A small cracking sound and the rope cut in half, letting Yang drop down instantly, but she was able to grip the nearest mast and avoid falling to her death.

"Thank you!" The blonde skittered down the mast, grinning cheerfully all the while, and Ruby sighed. She loved her sister, she really did, but she sometimes wished she would stop pulling these dangerous stunts.

After all, Ruby wouldn't always be there to cut her loose.

The redhead herself made her way down more slowly. Weiss was smiling softly at her from the deck, and that was something she didn't see very often. The white-haired girl's smile was something special. Not only was it rare, but it held a beauty that Ruby couldn't help but grin at. Weiss smiled and every fiber of Ruby's being smiled with her. It was one of the many reasons the redhead turned into walking sunshine in the first mate's presence.

The best part was, Ruby knew she saw those smiles more than anyone.

The worst part was, she wasn't sure what that meant.

* * *

><p>Weiss and her father stood by the railing of the ship, heads bowed together as they spoke in hushed voices. Behind them, the two sisters played cards with the doctor, while Ren was sitting nearby while reading and Nora, leaning on his shoulder, having worn herself out earlier than usual today-most likely due to the large amount of sugar she'd consumed that morning, resulting in an inevitable crash. A comfortable silence fell between herself and her father, and she let herself zone out temporarily.<p>

"Thirty-one!" The white-haired girl heard Ruby cry triumphantly.

"Ha! Go fish, sis!" Yang's voice was smug, and the first mate could almost see the resulting pout on the redhead's face, although she was facing the other direction.

"I declare war!"

"What game are we even playing?" This was Blake, and Weiss was relieved she wasn't the only one confused by their antics.

"Aw, you're no fun, Blakey!" The blonde was the only one allowed to use that nickname for the faunus. Anyone else simply got one of her rather terrifying glares. She'd never admit it out loud, but even Weiss herself was loathe to be on the receiving end of one.

"That doesn't answer the question." Giggles erupted and the white-haired girl couldn't help but chuckle herself.

Suddenly, Weiss felt something change in her father's posture. Glancing at him, she saw he was tense, his eyes focused on the horizon. The smile dropped from her face as she followed his gaze, taking note of the intimidating clouds.

They were headed straight for a storm.

"Ruby!" Her father called, turning around briskly. The younger girl looked up from her cards questioningly, and he gestured towards the eagle's nest. Laying down her cards, she obediently scrambled up to get a better look at whatever it was that had her captain on edge.

"Yang, don't look behind my cards!"

It was unbelieveable. Ruby felt as though she was surrounded by clouds, and they were only getting darker each minute. In the far distance was a ship, coming their way at a rather fast pace, almost like it was running in fear. As the redhead looked on, there was a very sudden, very bright flash of light, followed closely by a low, threatening rumble. When her vision cleared, the ship was alight, and it didn't take much to figure out that it had been struck by lightning. Feeling frightened, Ruby hastily returned to the deck, her distressed expression not doing much to ease the worries of the crew.

"That ship just got hit by lightning!" It was a rather unnecessary statement, since most of the others were already at the railing, staring at the spectacle. All but Weiss and her father, who were once again speaking lowly to each other. Most of the crew knew instantly what they were talking about.

No matter what, it was unavoidable, and they were going to face it.**  
><strong>


	3. I May Fall

The crew of the Myrtenaster could only watch, as groups of threatening clouds came dangerously close, surrounding the ship. Almost every single person on the ship was looking on in fear as the ship that had been hit by lightning sunk to the seafloor. A burning camp of wood, half extensive sails and a pile of dead or hurts people, only a few hundred meters away from them. Unfortunately, they were much too far away to save them, and either way they needed all their own resources in such conditions; they were going to drown. It was one of the worst nightmares of every ship to be struck by lightning, because you could do nothing against it. The Myrtenaster already had some close calls, but hasn't been hit in its years.

Ruby was staring at her sister, who was now standing behind the wheel of the ship, by demand of the captain who knew Yang was concentrated in dangerous situations. They both realised that this could be the last time they saw each other. There were always those dangers that could appear. You could be swept overboard by massive waves, and the chances that you would return were extraordinarily small. Then, there were waterspouts-towering columns of wind and water that could destroy the ship or suck a mate up if it came too close. The last thing was lightning, and they had just seen a terrifying demonstration of that.

In the year and eight months the girls had been on the ship, Captain Schnee discovered both girls had a great ability. Ruby was very fast, which was a very useful trait as they were getting the ship prepared for the storm. It almost seemed as though she were everywhere at once, helping every task along.

On the other side, currently behind the wheel, there was Yang. There were only a few people that could control the ship with clear mind, keeping them from disaster. These people were Captain Schnee, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang. Yang was known for her concentrated and calm mind during bad situations, like storms and attacks. She always knew a way to overcome without getting anyone hurt.

"Ruby, help!" Someone called from the other side of the ship. It was Weiss, attempting to tie the rope that kept the main sail from ripping around one of the chains. But the hard wind that flew around the ship in a fast pace, kept her from doing so.

The redhead disappeared from her spot, only leaving a small cloud of blood-red rose petals to fly in the wind.

Using all their strength, Ruby and Weiss managed to lock the rope, making sure it wouldn't snap like it almost had previous times.

On the middle of the deck, there was Zwei, running in circles while barking madly, supposedly at the weather. With a shocked look, Ruby disappeared for the second time, now grabbing Zwei as she was looking around desperately to someone who could bring her beloved dog inside. Safe.

"Nora!" Ruby called out, and to her relief, the girl looked up from her task, removing the boxes with victuals that could slam overboard. She instantly knew what the crimsonette wanted and took the dog out her hands, running towards the hatch. Meanwhile, the younger girl took it upon herself to finish the task she'd asked Nora to abandon.

Drizzling became downpour in the smallest fraction of a second, soaking all the mates that were on the deck immediately.

"Oh no." To his dismay, Captain Schnee saw an upcoming wave on his left, slowly getting higher and closer. It was almost like a ghost, spreading over the ship. "Yang, go straight through it!"

"On it!"

With a firm pull on the big, wooden wheel, most of the mates had to grab something to hold their balance, keeping them from falling. The ship steered to it's left, now facing the fifty foot wave.

They crashed through it and came out the other side relatively unscathed. The storm was one of the rougher ones the ship had seen, but the crew was determined and dedicated. Up ahead, the wind swirled, picking up water to form a waterspout.

On the deck, Ruby dashed around, helping wherever she could. She cut ropes, tied knots, and made sure everything was secure. All the while, she kept a wary eye on the waterspout, ready to call out if it got too near. As it turned out, she didn't have to wait too long.

"Watch out!" She called out above the storm to the other end of the ship as the waterspout drifted close to them. The mates on that end scrambled away as the carnage began, with oak planks being ripped from the wooden hull. Many of them ducked or curled to shield themselves from flying splinters and such.

The wind whipped fast and hard around them, driving cold rain into numb skin and making it difficult to see. As the young teen glanced around, she saw her friends had started to go back to work, though there were still flying splinters. The fact of the matter was there were things that needed to be done and cowering in a corner wasn't helping at all.

"Ruby!" A very familiar voice called the redhead's name and she immediately straightened up, eyes darting to her crush. Weiss looked as though she was going to say something, but seemed to change her mind about something. "Duck!" She called instead, and Ruby instinctively obeyed.

When she looked up, she saw the reason-a plank had been headed straight for her head, and Weiss had warned her just in time. She threw a grin at the white-haired girl in thanks, then made her way towards her.

"What's up, Weissy?" Ruby noted the slight eye twitch at the nickname, but grinned all the same. Her superior pointed upwards, towards the main sail, where some wood had been lodged. Ruby was one of the few who were able to traverse the masts easily in a storm, thus she was to be sent up to free the objects from the sail.

With a quick nod, she bolted up the mast. The redhead positioned herself carefully before drawing her curved blade and using it to dislodge the obstacles. The task took very little time, and she chucked the offending pieces of wood towards the sea in the direction the wind was blowing, ensuring it wouldn't fall on any of her friends. They'd have to patch the sail after they got through this.

Her objective complete, Ruby turned her eyes deckward, seeking out the white-haired first mate. Making eye contact, she gave the older girl a broad grin and a thumbs up, keeping herself steady on the mast with the other. Even from here, she could tell Weiss was smiling (or at least, her expression was softer than normal), but then she was frowning and yelling.

Not understanding, the crimsonette turned to make her way back down, only to have a crushing force slam into her side. Horror crossed her features as her grip was broken and she began to fall. Crashing from this height could kill her.

She screamed as she fell, flailing wildly for anything that could stop her fall. Briefly, she managed to take hold of a rope, only to have her previously downward momentum send her slamming into the mast itself. This once again dislodged her hold and she was plummeting once more, this time too dazed to make a sound.

She hit the deck.


	4. Shattered

Weiss had turned away for just a moment.

Something else had required her attention so, figuring Ruby could handle herself on the way down, she'd taken her eyes off the redhead. That had been a mistake.

She heard the scream and her head whipped around just in time to see her friend slam into the mast. Immediately, she dropped what she was doing and bolted forward, but she would be too late.

"RUBY!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, voice shrill with panic. The other mates either couldn't leave their posts, or were too far away.

The crimsonette hit the deck. Only a second later, Weiss was by her side, checking her over. Yang was suddenly by her side as well, having turned the wheel over to Captain Schnee and practically vaulted over the railing to reach her baby sister.

Then Blake was there, pushing them away so she could do her job. The ship's doctor carefully but quickly went through procedures, making sure the deckhand wasn't terribly injured. Weiss and Yang stayed silent during this, knowing there was nothing more she could do. Once finished, she lifted the girl in her arms and moved towards the crew's cabins.

"Wait!" Weiss called after her, desperate to know that her friend was okay. Blake turned to her with a stern gaze.

"She'll be fine. You have jobs to do." That appeared to be all the faunus had to say as she once again turned, bringing Ruby to her bed. The white-haired girl looked to Yang, observing her reaction to these words before deciding her own. The blonde seemed conflicted, obviously wanting to be there for her sister, but also trusting the doctor to take care of her. Finally, she seemed to make a decision and ran back towards the wheel of the ship.

The captain's daughter took a deep breath and tried to push thoughts of the redhead from her mind. She did have a job to do, and she knew she couldn't abandon it now.

Squaring her shoulders, she turned back to the crew and began giving orders again.

* * *

><p><strong>October 15th, 1783.<strong>

Silver eyes opened slowly and blinked blearily at the world. Her head was aching, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her left leg. She gasped quietly and let out a soft whine, squeezing her eyes shut. She felt a hand touch her forehead, then her arm. Ruby opened her eyes again, staring wearily up at Blake. At her side, she felt fur brush her skin as Zwei stirred.

"Blake…" Her voice sounded hoarse, which she assumed was because she hadn't had anything to drink in a while. "It huuuurts," she whined. She saw the faunus roll her eyes.

"Well, you're well enough to whine, so that's a good sign. Sit up, I have some painkillers for you." Though it had sounded like an order, Blake didn't actually let Ruby sit up on her own. Strong hands slid behind her back and guided her into a sitting position. The crimsonette was then handed a cup of water and two small capsules as the cat faunus stared at her expectantly. She made a face at the pills, but swallowed them without complaint, then downed the rest of the water. It was cool and soothing on her throat, though it still felt a bit rough.

"What happened? I remember climbing up the mast to cut some stuff out of the sail and I remember falling and I remember pain but I don't know how I got here." The teen looked up at her older friend with a bemused expression. Suddenly a thought occurred to her and her eyes widened in worry, giving her a rather childish appearance. "Are we still in the storm?"

"Nah, that ended two days ago." Both Ruby's and Blake's attention was drawn to the doorway to the bunk room, where Yang stood. Her hands were clasped behind her head and she looked very relaxed for someone whose closest family came very close to dying.

"No it wasn't, Yang. Don't mess with her like that." The faunus chastised the blonde, earning only a grin in return. Ruby sighed in relief.

"The storm ended last night."

"Yang, you jerk!" She donned her famous pout, knowing it would make her sister feel guilty. As expected, the blonde threw her hands up in surrender.

"Hey, put that away! That's a weapon of mass destruction if I ever saw one…" Ruby stuck out her tongue. "Well anyway, Cap'n and Weiss want to see you. Can you walk?" At this point, Blake butted in.

"She'll have to use crutches for a while, but she should be able to get around. Although, she should stay in bed for today at least…" The faunus knew this wouldn't go over well with the energetic deckhand, but she felt obligated to at least say it. That way when Ruby complained about her leg getting worse, she could say she'd warned her. Of course, the teen disregarded this warning and excitedly reached her hands out for the crutches. Blake sighed and handed them to her as Yang helped her sister stand from the bed.

* * *

><p>Ruby hobbled out of the cabin, still getting used to walking with crutches, only to be quickly enveloped in a tight hug. Wisps of white let her know exactly who was hugging her, and she felt herself blush. Balancing carefully, she managed to wrap one of her arms around the first mate in return. A moment later, the warm hug ended and she felt a sharp pain on her cheek. Weiss had slapped her. She pouted, doing her best to put on her signature puppy dog eyes. The effect was probably enhanced by the tears pricking lightly at the corners of her eyes from the unexpected slap.<p>

Weiss turned away with a huff, her arms now crossed. Even so, Ruby could see the concern on her face, and she couldn't help but smile. It felt nice to know her crush had been worried about her.

What was that for?" She had a hunch about the answer, but she wanted to hear Weiss say it anyway.

"For scaring me!" There was a pause, then: "A-and everyone else, too. We were_ all_ worried." Ruby wasn't fooled. She didn't think anyone would be. Her grin couldn't have been wider.

Captain Schnee stepped up to them before Ruby got the chance to say anything about it. He placed a large hand on the crimsonette's shoulder, giving her a relieved smile.

"I'm very happy to see you're alright, Ruby. How do you feel?"

The crimsonette looked around her, taking in the debris and damage. The ship was torn apart, and it was truly a wonder they were still afloat. There were holes in the deck, with the planks that had filled them pushed to the side by the sailors that had already started their day. A glance upwards told her the main sail was beyond fixing-they'd need to have it replaced. They'd need as much help as they could get to sail this ship to port.

"I feel ready to get back to work!" She could feel the first mate's glare on her, though she kept her cheerful grin on the captain, and knew that there was no way in hell Weiss would actually let her do that. Her father laughed, though, ruffling her hair good-naturedly.

"We'll see about that. For today you probably shouldn't stress yourself." Ruby groaned, twisting her face into a grimace. She didn't want to stay in bed for a whole day. There was work to be done!

"Where are we, anyway? I'm sure the storm threw us off course." Her captain's expression turned solemn and he nodded.

"We've drifted towards Fang Crawl, and after some discussion with my first mate I've decided we're going to sail straight through. We need to get to a port as quickly as possible." She felt a jolt of shock and suddenly felt very cold. She might have stumbled if she hadn't had crutches to lean on.

"F-fang Crawl? But, sir…!" She knew exactly what Fang Crawl was. Everyone on the ship knew what Fang Crawl was. It was something they always avoided at all costs, for one very simple reason: it was the territory of the notorious pirate group The White Fang.

Ruby and Yang were familiar with The White Fang. They remembered the masks. They remembered the terrible smiles, the ruthless attitudes. They remembered being dragged away from the window, shoved into the panic room. Ruby remembered her mother crouching down and hugging her tightly. She remembered her turning to Yang, making her swear to always take care of her baby sister. The blonde, confused and worried, had hesitantly promised. They were both told to keep silent, make not a single sound. Ruby had been scared, but she'd nodded and scooted closer to her sister.

The two had huddled in there for a very, very long time. She never knew quite how long. At least a day, Yang said, but she had a tendency to exaggerate. One of their parents' friends had come to get them. She'd knocked on the door to the panic room, called out the password their parents had set years ago should something happen. She'd given them a grim look and quietly asked them to cover their eyes as she lead them out of the house. Hesitantly, worriedly, they had obeyed.

But neither girl was known for following the rules. Each knew that they were going to peek. Each knew that the other was going to peek as well. Each had to hold their breath to keep from crying at what they'd seen.

They hated The White Fang.

And now they were sailing in their territory.


	5. A Nightmare

**Hi all!**

**TheBrokenBottle (and Navyrants ofcourse!) here with the fifth chapter of Myrtenaster's Loss!**

**At first, we want to say thanks to all of you! After four chapters, TheBrokenBottle got lots of PM's from people with ideas, and those are really exciting, we're going to use them for sure!**

**Second, (This involves only TheBrokenBottle) To those who read (Follow or Favourite) my current top story Experiencing New Rhythms, probable knew about my last two chapters, who existed of only an AN. You guys already know I continue on that story after a short state of depression in both me and YellowSign, but we started to work on chapter 13 sooner than we both expected. So then the good news comes; We're working on chapter 13 already, so the wait for it won't be too long!**

**(My leg is also fully recovered. It's nice to walk again.)**

**It was fun writing this chapter, because Navyrants and I have lots of ideas to put in this story, we're planning on making this story big and great, so you should definitely keep your eye out!)**

**Read, Follow, Favourite (PM, because I like a good chat. Haha.) Review and most important, Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not owe RWBY or its characters!**

* * *

><p>Ruby glanced back at Yang with an uneasy expression on her face, not terribly soothed at the unrest she found in her sister. Biting her lip, she slowly turned back to the captain.<p>

"I see...Isn't that really dangerous?" He gave her a sympathetic look. He didn't know the details of their past, but he knew they had a strong aversion to The White Fang. The crimsonette could tell he was genuinely sorry about this news.

"Yes, it is. But we need to get to port as quickly as possible. With the ship in the shape it's in, we don't have time to go around. I'm sorry, Ruby."

She glanced at Weiss, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. The first mate looked somewhat distressed as well, though whether that was concern for Ruby or concern for their general safety, it was uncertain. The redhead took a deep breath and pushed all of her inner conflict away. The most important thing at the moment was getting safely to port. Her own feelings were insignificant.

"Alright, then. How can I help?" Her voice was overflowing with enthusiasm, and maybe it was just a smidge too high to be genuine, but the captain didn't seem to notice. He only laughed at her supposed eagerness.

"You can help by getting some rest and taking care of Zwei. We can't have you hurting yourself any more than you already have."

She groaned overdramatically, knowing the silliness would do well to mask her discomfort. Even so, she was a bit relieved to retreat to her cabin, and as she passed by she could see Yang carefully wiping away her own displeasure. She noted that Zwei followed her, but Blake did not. The faunus girl opted instead to stay by her sister's side, which brought a genuine smile to the crimsonette's face. They were so cute.

* * *

><p>Weiss did her best not to worry about the deckhand as she turned back to the hefty task of getting the ship to port. With her father at the wheel, she directed Yang into the crow's nest to keep watch. They'd need the extra pair of eyes with the fog rolling in, even if the height wouldn't give much of an advantage. The rest of the crew scrambled around at her command until the ship was in a moderately stable condition. Barring any complications, they should be able to dock in the early hours of the morning.<p>

And for a while, it was smooth sailing. Weiss was even beginning to feel almost hopeful.

Then had come Yang's shout from above, conveying an urgency she'd scarcely heard from the blonde. The warning was barely enough, and the very next moment there was a loud, grating sound. Another ship was sailing close enough that their hull scraped The Myrtenaster, and one glance told Weiss they were flying the flag she most feared.

The White Fang was attacking.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise-not when the group of pirates had had a vendetta against her father for as long as the white-haired girl could remember. They had always avoided their territories, but now that they had no choice but to sail through one…

Weiss was scared.

"Yang! Wheel!" She heard her father shout as the blonde scrambled down from her post. He rushed into Ruby's cabin, and she could hear a brief argument between him and the deckhand. The first mate herself felt almost frozen to the spot-she had never had to deal with The White Fang before. They were the most notorious group of pirates on the open seas.

Moments later, the captain emerged from Ruby's dorm and she noticed that he locked the door behind him. She knew the young redhead was stubborn and would have tried to join the impending fray if she could.

Turning her head, she saw the pirates had already begun leaping onto their deck, and it shook her out of her trance. As soon as she could think, her hand reached over her holster, grabbing the hold of a fancy rapier. The metal sang as she drew the blade from its home, and her muscles tensed as she prepared to defend her father's ship.

Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ren were in the middle of the beginning struggle. Nora had a strangely large hammer that she was swinging at anyone who came too close. The ship's doctor had retrieved her kusarigama.

After taking in the scene before her, Weiss dove into the fray.

As she fought, ever graceful, everything else faded out of her consciousness. All that mattered was her and the enemy. Only vaguely did she register the shouts of her crewmates, or the pounding on the door to Ruby's cabin. Her senses focused on the feel of the hilt in her hand, the minute twitches of her opponents' muscles, the attacks they made and the openings they left. Her breathing was controlled but her heart pounded harshly in her chest.

At her hand a pirate fell, and two and three. There was an obscene amount of them, still pouring over the railing from the other ship. At one point she had her back pressed against Pyrrha's as they fought, and then they were separated again. Weiss barely noticed. A cutlass clashed with her rapier and she threw it to the side after just a brief struggle. A perfectly executed thrust dispatched (though didn't kill-she wasn't a barbarian) yet another pirate before she spun to face those closing in on her left.

Weiss was a good fighter. She was a great fighter. She'd been training from a young age for this very purpose. Her father was so, so proud of her. Even so, the sheer number of Fangs on the ship was overwhelming, and though the crew knew how to hold their own in a fight, none of them were very properly trained. The first mate couldn't handle this by herself. Even her pride couldn't deny that she would inevitably be overcome.

That left her father to carry the situation. A glance to the right told her he was involved in an intense duel with what appeared to be the pirate captain.

Also in this occasion, the ancient habit of the faunus was used, but surprisingly, only the captain used it; Grimm masks. The black captain hat, with three red feathers hanging lazily on the right sight of this threatening attire piece. A goofy smile written on his face as he was fighting one on one with the captain of the Myrtenaster, who seemed to be on the winning side.

Or well, they thought they were about to win.

The first mate suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, kicking her back to the deck that was currently a battlefield. Growing fear made up Weiss' stomach as her eyes met the ones of a dangerous looking woman. One of her pupils was deep brown, a common colour that you could see everywhere... But then the other eye came, which was a clear shade of pink, something Weiss hadn't seen before in her life. The rather fancy woman drew an umbrella, what brought Weiss to a state of confusion, expecting that the woman would have a weapon, instead of something that protected you from rain.

Once again, Weiss let go of every motion around her, fully concentrating of her opponent, who just smiled in a threatening way. The first mate could feel her the shivers over her spine. Apparently, The White Fang weren't fans of talking during combat.

Preparing her own weapon to fight, the white-haired noticed her enemy, taking a swing with her umbrella. One that came dangerously close to Weiss' head, what could have caused her to lose conciousness.

Weiss shot back, losing her balance in the progress as she fell against the head mast. Painfully rubbing her head, Weiss lost her concentration, hearing a vague bang, followed by a thick cloud of smoke surrounding the deck and everyone on it. She couldn't see her father, friends or enemies anymore but only her a familiar voice, who was audible struggling with the White Fang's captain.

For the second time Weiss caught herself out of her flow as she faced the mysterious woman again, who took another swipe with her umbrella, surprisingly fast this time.

This time, Weiss had less luck as the umbrella hit her left eye and it began to bleed instantly.

Uncontrollable, the first mate screamed in pain, almost dropping her weapon as her hand reached over her eye. Weiss' left eye began to tear, what created a combination between a few tears and blood, colouring her cheek a light shape of purple. Blood began to run over the left side of her face, dripping down until it reached her chin, where the clear red fluid started to drip on her attire.

Funny, how a fight could get his turn this fast. Almost saddening.

How, what seemed to be a normal business trip, ended in a bloodbath.

As her vision began to become blurry, Weiss could feel ropes, and the woman she fought just seconds ago who was tying her. In the bleeding corner of her eye, she could see her father also tied up and being dragged away. Seemingly, he also lost his conciousness. The mates of the Myrtenaster were still struggling against their opponents while their captain was about to get abducted by a group of pirates. In the distance, the loud bangs from Ruby's dorm room still continued. Now Weiss knew how Ruby felt.

Feeling the urge to help those you care about, but being too weak to overcome.

The first mate lost her conciousness as her throbbing and light feeling head dropped on the destroyed planks of the Myrtenaster's deck. Unnoticed tears continuing to flow.


	6. Repairs and Hugs

**Hi everyone!**

**Sorry for the delay, it's just things have been really busy around here recently. ****Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it! (Feedback would be greatly appreciated!)**

**Read, Review, Follow and favourite, and most important: Enjoy!**

**-TheBrokenBottle out!**

* * *

><p>A throbbing pain washed over Ruby's shoulder as she stepped back again. Just one more time, she told herself. Her back touched the opposite wall and she readied herself.<p>

_ One more._

The small teenager took off at full speed, throwing herself shoulder-first at the weakened wood of the door, bouncing off it. The pain flared again and she panted-it was times like these that she wished she were built more like Yang. The blonde had more weight to throw around and could take down a door like this in two hits, if that.

_One more._

This time the sentiment was true, and the door crumpled under the force of her momentum. She stumbled out onto the deck, nearly toppling into a hole where the planks had been ripped up by the storm.

Just managing to catch herself, she straightened up and surveyed her surroundings. The damage from the storm had been augmented by the attack. There was no sign of any remaining White Fang, for which the crimsonette was rather grateful. The crew, however, was clearly in a disheveled state. Jaune was unconscious by the base of the mast, which Pyrrha and Ren were leaning heavily against. Nora had discarded her hammer and had forgone her usual energy to sit propped up against the tall wooden structure, catching her breath. On the other side of the ship, Coco and Fox were leaning against each other, both harboring minor wounds.

Blake, at the moment, was tending to a cut on Yang's arm, while the ship's cook, Yatsuhashi, and Velvet helped those on the deck. It was Ruby who saw what no one else seemed to-a thin figure crumpled on the ground, partially hidden behind a pile of debris. A wisp of white hair confirmed her fear.

"Weiss!" The shout drew the attention of the ship's doctor, who had previously decided to ignore the sound of cracking wood. Looking up from the bandages she'd placed on the blonde, she found the younger girl crouched by what appeared to be nothing but garbage. However, stepping closer revealed the first mate, unconscious and bleeding.

Blake set to work quickly, gently cleaning the wound and wincing at how deep it was. It would need stitches, and the scar would be obvious on the first mate's pale skin. If she had to guess, Weiss would also suffer vision loss in her left eye. All in all, it was a devastating injury.

It occurred to her as she prepared to stitch the gash that Ruby was out of her room, although she had heard the door lock behind the captain. And most importantly, the crutches were nowhere to be seen.

"Why are you out here?" She managed to keep her voice level and the younger girl bit her lip, almost looking sheepish.

"I...I couldn't just stay in there!" Ruby wasn't even pouting. The look on her face was genuine concern and fear, and something else the faunus couldn't place. Blake set her jaw in a hard, harsh line.

"You're injured. You shouldn't be moving around so much. How did you even get out?" The girl didn't answer, but instead the doctor saw her rubbing her shoulder with a wince. Silver eyes flickered down, then quickly moved away as a nauseated look crossed her face. Blake let out a sigh through gritted teeth as she worked on Weiss's face. Ruby admired how Blake could do her work, even after noticing what damage the first mate had obtained. "You're an idiot." The amber-eyed paused, considering her next words. "Yang will be mad."

Ruby thought with a smirk about what her sister could do to her, quickly changing in a rather guilty look after seeing Blake's irritated frown.

"Just get back to bed, I'll take care of this." Blake mumbled, placing her arms under the unconcious first mate's legs and shoulders, lifting her up with a moan of effort. Ruby, of course, ignored her words. There was no way she would leave Weiss alone, especially when she was injured.

"For such a small adult, Weiss' weighs the same as a full grown elephant." Blake hardly managed to get out, causing Ruby to almost die of laughing inside of her. "Yang is nothing compared to it." The faunus joked as the blonde looked up from her dog with a deadly glare. Blake knew Yang loved to joke around, but wasn't good at receiving jokes, sometimes taking them very personal.

"Yang! Take the wheel. We're going to San Delilah, the ship sure could use some repair." Blake demanded, smiling as she saw the blonde obeyed and took over the wheel, giving it a firm swing. The doctor and the deckhand shared a look before Blake sighed once more and walked past Ruby toward the destroyed cabin door. The younger girl limped after her, now beginning to feel the pain in her leg once again. Blake had probably been right about staying in bed.

The cat faunus laid the white-haired girl down gently on a bottom bunk, pulling the thin blanket up to her shoulders before turning to speak to the deckhand.

"Ruby, you need to stay in here." The crimsonette opened her mouth with a dozen protests already on her tongue, but Blake interrupted her. "Someone has to look after Weiss, and you're her closest friend on the ship. Take care of her." With a sheepish nod, Ruby sat down on the edge of the bed and waited.

From where she sat, she could see through the broken door to the deck. She watched Blake, who focussed herself on the other injured deckhands again. A small moan drew the redhead's attention as she saw thick drops of sweat form on Weiss' head and her head leaned in to the side. Sighing, Ruby brushed some of the messy white bangs behind her ear. It was easy to believe this little cabin was their own little sanctuary.

Away from all the danger of the outside world.

* * *

><p><strong>That evening, Port of San Delilah.<strong>

They had barely made it to port with their lives. The Myrtenaster had pulled into the dock, unloaded of all its passengers, and was immediately hauled off for repairs. Blake had a feeling there might not be much that could be done for it, since it was total wreckage after the storm and fight. The crew themselves were left standing dejectedly by the long row of warehouses near the docks, deciding what to do now.

While at the wreckage known as the Myrtenaster, other things were going on.

Ruby found herself waking up in an odd position, balancing on two legs of the chair against the wooden wall, her arms crossed and resting on her stomach. Through the hull, the deckhand could hear and feel the outside waves, sloshing against the dark brown wood. From outside, noises were heard; the rattling of carts on the loose, stone streets, voices, very high or very low, with sometimes a scream from someone getting robbed. The sound that caught Ruby off-guard the most was the rustling sounds of the first mate, currently laying on the bed next to where Ruby sat.

Almost tripping to her side, Ruby took the lantern that stood on the table in her hand, reaching the source of light to where the sound came from, only to see two ice blue orbs looking back at her. It was almost saddening to see; the left eye was swollen and bloodshot with a fresh, pink scar running down the thick cheek.

Ruby flinched, almost losing balance once again as she just in time managed to grip herself to the table.

"Weiss?" Ruby said in disbelief, relieved and happy that her best friend woke up so quickly after a rough attack what caused a deep wound, carved in both her eye and heart, although Ruby suspected that Weiss still had no idea what happened to her father.

"Yes?" The first mate said, her voice husky and painful. Blinking, Weiss cupped her eye as she leaned back on the pillow again. Ruby could hear a moan leaving the white-haired lips as she rubbed the swollen area.

"What happened, where are the others? Where is my father?"

The redhead's expression changed into one of horror, already fearing to answer these questions. Lying about the whereabouts of the captain would be impossible, since he was nowhere to be seen. In her time on the ship, Ruby noticed Weiss wasn't only extremely playful and inquisitive at times, but she was also quite perceptive, sensing when something was totally wrong.

Trembling by the deadly silence, Ruby turned the chair, that was now facing the bed.

"Weiss... " Ruby hesitated for a moment, but decided that being direct was the best option right now. "There was a fight with the White Fang.. I can't tell you too much, because I wasn't there. Blake told me you were slashed across your eye." the deckhand paused, seeing Weiss brushing her fingertips over her eye. "How does that feel now?"

The first mate didn't miss how Ruby was avoiding her last question, but the growing pit in her stomach told her she wouldn't like the answer. "It...hurts a lot," she admitted reluctantly. Concern flashed across the deckhand's face and she withdrew her hand quickly.

"Do you want me to wrap it in gauze?"

"Please."

Struggling, Ruby managed to grab a roll of gauze -she took in case it was needed- off the table as she rolled from the chair onto the bed, sitting opposite to the first mate. A mix between horror and confusion was in Weiss' eyes, still thinking of the question that still had no answer.

After a minute or five, the redhead was helping the scarred, silent firstmate, wrapping the gauze carefully around her head. There was a prayer of relief in Ruby's head. Luckily Weiss didn't ask further about her father, that would be horrib-...

"Ruby?"

Oh no.

"Yes, Weiss?"

"What actualy happened to my father?"

Ruby swallowed. The question she most feared to answer came, and she was unready to be honest about it, but lying was not an option.

The redhead sighed.

"Weiss.."

"I want the truth, Ruby. What happened to my father?"

"He was taken. I wasn't there and Blake told me when you were unconcious. I'm sorry Weiss, I really am."

Weiss nodded slowly and inhaled deeply. Her jaw quivered almost imperceptibly and her eyes flicked to the ground.

"Do we… do we have any idea who took him?" She struggled out, her voice thicker and more emotional than before.

"I'm sorry. We have no idea who it could have been. I didn't want to tell you in case it w-"

"I understand, Ruby," Weiss cut the other girl off, "you just have to appreciate how hard this is for me. The past few hours have been a bit of a blur and now I find out that my father had been abducted within minutes of waking up. It just… doesn't seem real somehow, you know?"

Ruby nodded, though in reality she had no idea what Weiss meant. Her father being abducted was very real indeed, and she'd expected more of a reaction.

The beginning of tears were forming in the corner of Weiss' brilliant blue eyes, and Ruby felt her own heartstrings being wrenched at. Seeing Weiss in this state hurt her so badly. She hated feeling so helpless, so innadequate. So she acted on instinct.

Extending a hand towards Weiss, Ruby watched the distraught girl take it gingerly. Ruby then pulled Weiss close to her, wrapping her arms tightly around the surprised first mate in a secure embrace. After recovering from the shock, Weiss allowed herself to sink into the comfort of the hug, sobs wracking her frail body.

Ruby rested her head in Weiss' alabaster hair, the silken strands tickling her face as she muttered anything that she could think of that might help. Her own eyes began to glaze over with tears slightly but she paid them no heed, instead focusing on helping the girl in her arms.

"Don't worry, I've got you now and I will stay here. You're okay."


	7. We Need To Talk

**Hey guys!**

**Welcome to Myrtenaster's Loss! Chapter 7 (1/2)**

**We apologize for making this such a short chapter, it's just if we included the next scene in it as well, the chapter would be too long and tedious to read. On the bright side, it means you should stay tuned for the next chapter, which is probably not so far from now either. I hope you understand.**

**Secondly, we also want to thank NobleMETA for mentioning our story in the AN of Brand New World, a great story.**

**Feedback is greatly appreciated of course, so Read, Review, Follow and Favourite, and Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>November 11th, 1783<strong>

Late in the evening, high up in the crowsnest of the Myrtenaster, one of the loyal deckhands had sat down, a pile of books in all colors and sizes next to her. Placidity was all the crew wanted after the intensity of a month ago. After nearly a month of residence in the ports of San Delilah due to the slow repair process of the ship, most of the citizens knew their names. It was unavoidable; Yang and Blake had been caught several times, being as drunk as a person could be. Nora and Pyrrha had become notorious fighters by participating in streetfights and local tournaments. Both Jaune and Ren rather stayed quiet, looking for the peaceful places to study and learn.

Ruby herself had spent most of her free time studying as well, if she wasn't exploring the island. But above all she would search for Weiss Schnee.

It was almost soul-destroying to see the usually playful first mate staying quiet for the first time. Seemingly unaware of everything going on around her, Weiss had spent her days away from the people who loved her, hiding in the primeval forest on the south of the island, or so Ruby was told. When not hunting, reading books or spending her nights drunk in a bar, the crimsonette deckhand thought of a million ways to cheer Weiss up.

But in the end, it was all in vain.

'_and in the night of January the 25th, 1779, their former captain was beheaded for abusing his own deckhands and attacking other comrad ships. A new captain came soon after, known as "Fall of Cinder" took over the piracy with an iron fist, and Roman Torchwick was chosen as her new quartermaster. At the head of 23 pirate ships in all Remnant, they are known to be to be active in especially dangerous spots like The Death Spiral, Atlas' Icebergs, Fang Crawl and Alicé. Attack captain Cinder, and you will look death in the eyes._'

Sighing deeply, Ruby closed the book and laid it on her stomach, the last sentence still lingering in her head. It wasn't the first time Ruby had heard of Cinder Fall, but she had no clue of what she looked like or what would really happen if you had the mifortune to meet one of the sea's largest and most feared pirate ships; The Spark.

"Attack captain Cinder, and you will look death in the eyes." The words sent a chill down her spine. They were, perhaps, a bit dramatic for an informative piece, but the deckhand didn't doubt their truth for a second. With a sigh, she pushed the book away and focused her mind elsewhere.

From her vantage point on the ship, she was able to see a good deal of the sleepy town they'd landed in. San Delilah was peaceful and cozy, but still far noisier than the average night on the ship. The sounds of the town were comforting in a way, Ruby thought. They reminded her that there were other people nearby, that she wasn't alone. That was sometimes difficult to remember when you spent your life on a ship with only the other crew members for company. Sometimes out at sea, the ship felt like Noah's Ark, and they were the only humans alive.

She turned her eyes upwards to the clear sky. Darkness was beginning to set in, with brilliant pinks and oranges blooming on the horizon and stretching as far as she could see, the sky a canvas of beautiful colours. The deckhand had always loved sunsets ever since she was young. But tonight she found it difficult to focus on such a display. Instead, her eyes wandered restlessly across the cloudless sky until finally, with nowhere else to go, they turned downward to the ship itself. All was in order-the ship would be ready to go any day now-and there was no one on deck. Yang would be in a tavern, Blake would be looking after her. Ruby wasn't sure where the others had gone.

Suddenly, her eyes were drawn to movement on the gangplank. A person emerged from below deck and was making their way away from the ship. Wispy white hair swished from side to side as they walked, leaving no doubt about the identity of the figure.

Weiss.

It was the first time Ruby had seen the first mate since the day they'd docked in San Delilah. After speaking, they had fallen back into a restless sleep, tangled in the comfort of each other's arms. The crimsonette had awoken alone, with no trace of her friend in the room. She had searched the ship and turned up nothing. But now, here she was, walking calmly away from the place Ruby sat. The deckhand briefly wondered if Weiss even knew she was there.

Then it occurred to her that Weiss was walking away and if she didn't get down from the crowsnest right now, she'd never catch up. With that thought in mind, she scrambled down in record time and sprinted after the older girl.

The sound of her footsteps alerted Weiss to her presence, and the surprise on her face as she turned around made it clear that she had thought she was alone.

"Good evening Weiss!" Ruby chirped, her positive demeanour seeimingly lost on Weiss. All Ruby could do was try and look past the red and swollen eyes, decorated with a now clear scar running down her cheek, the disfigurement only adding to her beauty in Ruby's eyes.

For a fraction of a second, Ruby thought Weiss was about to reply, and her gaze softened almost imperceptibly, but the first mate blinked and turned around without a word. As she walked away, Ruby's expression dropped at her failure, but she decided one thing in that instant.

She wouldn't let Weiss run off _that_ easily.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Ruby said, jumping in front of Weiss to block her way. This time there was a brief change in the first-mate's facial expression, an irritated glare aimed at Ruby as she tried to get past.

"Ruby, I appreciate your concern, but it's really none of your business." Weiss replied coldly, ready to push the redhead away, but Ruby remained stubborn and laid her hand on the light-blue fabric of Weiss' attire. Realization shot through Ruby as she noticed Weiss had her rapier with her.

"What are you going to do with that?" Ruby dryly remarked, pointing down at the girl's hip where a shiny, decorative rapier rested in its scabbard.

Weiss sighed deeply, realising there was no way to get past Ruby until she gave her the answers she desired. Secretly, the white-haired girl didn't mind it, knowing she could always trust the excitable redhead with whatever problem she faced.

"I was planning to make a short trip to the forest, maybe to hunt a few animals." Weiss admitted, awkwardly looking down at the ground as a black cat passed between their feet.

"Without asking me?!" Ruby complained, placing her hand against her chest with a humorous fake-insulted face. Despite herself, Weiss giggled at this, a small smile gracing her face. It was a simple smile, one that would rarely be worth mentioning, but Ruby found herself captivated by it, for it was a smile she had missed so much. She allowed herself a small celebration at this small victory before continuing.

"Listen Weiss, it's not just me but the entire crew worries about your safety. It's not that I don't trust you, hunting on your own, but the forest is full of thieves and predators; Jaune and Ren were attacked by a bear last week." The deckhand warned as she counted the dangers on her fingers, much to Weiss' chagrin. "It's for your own good."

"Okay Ruby, I get it. Good god, you think I can't handle them on my own? If you really want then you can come with me, so I suggest you pick up your reaping hook from the ship." Weiss smiled, mirroring Ruby's wide grin as she saluted the first mate before storming off towards the Myrtenaster.

Weiss agreed to take Ruby with her, not because of the thieves and predators, since that was what she was actually searching for, but she knew Ruby was the one she could talk honestly with and confess her feelings to. Whatever those might be.

* * *

><p><strong>We'll see you guys next time!<strong>

**-TheBrokenBottle**


End file.
